Sky Real Lives
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- This article discusses the Sky Real Lives channel (formerly "Sky Travel"). For the UK Sky channel currently named Sky Travel, see Sky Travel (formerly Sky Travel Shop).
| Sky Real Lives | |
|---|---|
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| Launched | 3 October 1994 |
| Owned by | BSkyB |
| Audience share | 0.0% (February 2008, [1]) |
| Sister channel(s) | Sky Real Lives 2, Sky Travel |
| Timeshift service | Sky Real Lives +1 |
| Website | www.sky.com/reallives |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Sky Digital | Channel 253 Channel 254 (+1) Channel 255 (2) Channel 659 (Sky Travel) |
Sky Real Lives is a channel from BSkyB that shows extensive programmes about travel, adverts for travel agencies, and documentries.
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[edit] History
Sky Real Lives launched as Sky Travel on 3 October 1994,[1] and became part of the Sky Multichannels package. It originally broadcast between Monday and Thursday between midday and midnight and on Friday between midday and 6pm[1] until September 1997. In 2001 the channel started broadcasting 7 days a week from 6am until 11pm.
The channel launched its first multiplex in September 2002, Sky Travel Extra and the core channel launched with Freeview on 30 October 2002, along with Sky News and Sky Sports News. In February 2003 a spin off of the channels, Sky Travel Shop, launched a dedicated travel retail channel in the Specialist, then Shopping section of the EPG. In September 2003 both channels were launched on the NTL platform. With increased distribution, Sky Travel changed its programming strategy to attract a wider audience, skewing towards stronger entertainment programmes with a travel theme, particularly reality shows. By August 2004, the core channel was broadcasting 24 hours a day and in January 2005 a second multi-plex Sky Travel+1 was launched.
In October 2005 Sky Travel on Freeview was replaced by Sky Three and in March 2006, the Sky Travel channels were moved from the Entertainment genre on Sky into the Lifestyle and Culture section of the EPG.
In August 2006, Sky Travel began showing reality TV, whilst Sky Travel Extra dedicated its airtime to documentaries.
Sky Real Lives 2, the replacement channel for Sky Travel Extra, is to gain additional broadcast hours from launch.
Currently Sky Travel Extra is available daily from 6am until 1am. However, on November 7 at 6am Sky Real Lives 2 will begin 24 hour broadcasts.
[edit] Changes on Freeview
In 2004 Sky Travel showed the first two episodes of the fourth season of US drama 24, simulcasting with BSkyB's primary channel, Sky One. This led to rumours that the company had planned to turn Sky Travel into a general entertainment channel on Freeview. However, BSkyB's CEO, James Murdoch, had repeatedly denied the company had any plans to launch any new free-to-air services.
BSkyB's stance on the subject has since changed. On 22 September 2005, it was announced that Sky Travel would be replaced on Freeview by new entertainment channel Sky Three. Although some of Sky Travel's programming will form part of the schedule of Sky Three, Sky Travel itself will still be shown on Sky Digital. Sky Travel ceased to be broadcast on Freeview at 5pm on 31 October 2005.
[edit] Sky Travel relaunch
On 17 September 2007 Sky announced plans to rename Sky Travel to Sky Real Lives from 7 November 2007.[2] The new channel will focus on programmes with a human interest story and will be targeted more at women in the 35-54 age range
Sky's managing director of entertainment Sophie Turner Laing said it seems that the channel would be given a "whole new makeover" that would make it more entertainment oriented. On 7 November, the following channels were changed
Sky Travel renamed Sky Real Lives
Sky Travel +1 renamed Sky Real Lives +1
Sky Travel Extra renamed Sky Real Lives 2
Sky Travel Shop was renamed Sky Travel.
[edit] Sky Real Lives Programming
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[edit] References
- ^ a b TELE SATELLIT - Number 19. Retrieved on 2007-02-17.
- ^ "Sky Travel to be renamed Sky Real Lives", Digital Spy, 17 September 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-17.
[edit] External links
- Sky Real Lifes at sky.com
- Sky Travel at TV Ark
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